Around the holidays—most
especially post-Christmas, pre-New Year's Eve—I am approached with endless
requests for champagne-based cocktails. Yet until a few years ago, I almost
always disappointed all of those who asked. If for no other reason than I
couldn't name too many champagne-based cocktails appropriate for late December
or that I thought tasted particularly great.

For me, it was basically the French 75 or bust. I know, I know, everyone loves the champagne cocktail. But I consider
it a pointless concoction of champagne, bitters and a sugar cube that was
perfectly summed up by an exchange between Adam (Brendan Fraser) and Eve
(Alicia Silverstone) in the only memorable part of the movie Blast From the Past:

And yet, champagne (or
sparkling wine as it's referred to outside of the Champagne region of France)
is the official drink of New Year's Eve. With good reason, too—it's meant for
celebrating. So something had to give. My disdain for champagne-based cocktails
was turning me into the Ebenezer Scrooge of New Year's Eve.

Luckily, that's around the
time I discovered the Old Cuban, a drink created at the famed Pegu Club in New York City by owner-bartender Audrey Saunders.
Conceived of as an upscale variation on the Mojito, the Old Cuban (a mix of
rum, bitters, simple syrup and lime juice topped with champagne) is a versatile
drink—i.e., the rum and champagne combination works as well in the summer as it
does on December 31. Even more impressive: The dash of Angostura bitters brings
a lot of Christmas spice to the party, allowing the Old Cuban to not only ably
straddle two seasons but also two major holidays. (The Old Cuban—perfect for
any occasion! Now, that's a distinction.)

There isn't, in fact, much
the Old Cuban can't do. That's why it's the drink I'll be reaching for as the
clock strikes midnight on Tuesday evening.